In March of 2007, the OBA had the great privilege of interviewing the Hon. Lincoln Alexander, CC, QC, OOnt, a celebrated lawyer who served as first black MP in the House of Commons and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, among many other extraordinary accomplishments.
At the time of this interview, Mr. Alexander was 85-years-old, and yet still he actively contributed to society, following through on his career-long commitment to promote education and inclusion.
In November 2013, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario declared January 21st of each year Lincoln Alexander Day, citing Alexander's life as "an example of service, determination and humility. Always fighting for equal rights for all races in our society, and doing so without malice, he changed attitudes and contributed greatly to the inclusiveness and tolerance of Canada today."
Today, as Black History Month comes to a close, the OBA looks back at the legacy of this extraordinary lawyer so that we may remember to continue his work, in every month of the year.
“Linc” –
he’s broken so many barriers and spent a lifetime in seemingly perpetual motion serving the public interest that one would think he would welcome retirement. Not anytime soon apparently.
He’s still serving as Chancellor of the University of Guelph (5th term) and serves on the Ontario Heritage Trust, the Raptors Foundation, The Royal Winter Fair and Doctors Hospital to name but a few. He was chosen the Greatest Hamiltonian of All Time. He was the first black MP in the House of Commons, the first black member of the Cabinet as Minister of Labour, and chair of Ontario’s Workers’ Compensation Board.
Linc received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 from the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, the Law Society Medal in 2002, and the Osgoode Hall Alumni Association granted him their 1996 Award of Excellence. His curriculum vitae runs five pages.
When I visited with him in his new Hamilton digs, we were surrounded by an array of photos that leave you speechless. A testament to a long life of service, with his beloved wife Yvonne, who passed away in 1996, are side by side with those with members of the Royal Family, Prime Ministers, Premiers, and foreign heads of state. And there are dozens of his granddaughters, whom he so clearly adores, along with his son Keith and his wife Joyce.
A lifetime of memories cover the walls of the people that he acknowledges have enriched his life - colleagues from his law practices, faded group shots of political times past, and meeting with school children, all ethnic minorities, those with physical and mental challenges and “just folks” from every walk of life in Ontario.
"It doesn’t matter your colour, your ethnicity or your gender. Education opens doors that you never thought possible.”
I asked him what the single biggest moment of this amazing career was: “Serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario [from 1985 – 1991]“, he answered. “It was such an honour that the son of a railway porter could become the lieutenant governor.”
Lincoln Alexander has carried a consistent message in every role, in every task and in virtually every public engagement: Go to school. He said “the title of my book comes from my mother who said ‘go to school, you’re a little black boy’, but it doesn’t matter your colour, your ethnicity or your gender. Education opens doors that you never thought possible.”
He freely admits that he went to law school, not as a first choice, but because he couldn’t get a management job at Stelco. It wasn’t the first time racism affected his life, but it was a defining moment. It started him on a path where he acknowledged that “he had to be somebody.”
Starting his legal career with Okuloski and Okuloski as the second black lawyer in Hamilton, Alexander later joined criminal lawyer David Duncan and then on to what became known in the 60’s and 70’s as Hamilton’s “United Nations” firm of Millar, Alexander Tokiwa and Isaacs in 1963. He remained a partner there until 1979.
His advice to new, young members of the legal profession? “Never stop learning, be honest, do your very best and help clean up the image of the profession. We cannot continue to allow the actions of a few to blot the accomplishments of so many.”
"I worked damn hard to receive my degree and to have ‘Barrister & Solicitor’ follow my name. I cherish those words."
Through his entire career, Alexander has maintained his CBA/OBA membership. Even when he ceased to practise, he kept current. Why? “Because I worked damn hard to receive my degree and to have ‘Barrister & Solicitor’ follow my name. I cherish those words. I’m immensely proud of being a lawyer, and being a member of the Bar Association is just the right thing to do.”
In his inaugural speech in the House of Commons, Lincoln Alexander said that “involvement demands commitment in terms of actions and deeds, rather than words….” Lincoln Alexander, to this day at age 85, walks the talk.